Ghost Images
by purplepagoda
Summary: When someone shows up on Gibb's doorstep is she the key to the past? Is she being truthful, or is she hiding something? Will the truth come to light? Are ghosts coming back to haunt the NCIS team?
1. Chapter 1

He stops at the front door, and fishes out the key. The leaves outside his house are decaying as the rain falls from the sky. He turns the key in the door, and enters the house with a stack of mail under one arm. He heads to the kitchen, and flips on the light. He leaves the door unlocked as he searches the fridge for a viable option for dinner. After a nice sirloin, and a beer he heads to the couch to study a case file.

He temporarily falls asleep on the couch. He wakes up about an hour later. He sits up, and stretches. His glance falls on a wet leaf lying on his floor. He furrows his brow, certain that it was not present earlier. He reaches for his gun, as his gut sends off alarm bells telling him that he is not alone. He rises to his feet with his hand securely pressed against his gun. He looks in the kitchen, and finds it vacant. He heads toward the stairwell to the basement.

He moves slowly, and quietly as he descends the stairs. He reaches the bottom stair, and finds the basement to be dark. He listens carefully as he sets foot onto the surface of the basement floor. He hears someone breathing heavily, not stealthily. It is the sound of someone who is scared. He crosses the room, and flips on the light. As his eyes adjust he surveys the room. He sees a shadow underneath the staircase. He moves slowly, stopping halfway across the room.

"I don't know who is down here, but you need to come out. My name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs."

There is no movement. He slowly moves towards the staircase. He stops when he reaches the staircase. His breath hitches as he sees a small figure in the corner of the basement, underneath the steps. A pair of eyes stair up at him. After recent events his hand remains against his weapon.

"I don't want to hurt you," he shifts into a squatting position.

The person's face is nearly obscured under strands of oily, dark hair.

"Can you tell me your name?"

His response is a look of fear scrawled across her face.

"Are you hiding from someone?" He furrows his brow making a realization, "Do you speak English?"

"Yes," he elicits a barely audible whisper.

"Can you tell me your name?"

There is a subtle head shake.

"You look like you've been on the move for a while. I bet you're hungry. Can I make you something to eat?" He tries to gain trust.

"I need your help," she tells him, quietly.

"Okay," he nods, understandingly, "Why don't you come out of there? You can tell me what you need my help with, and I'll make you something to eat. Does that sound like a deal?"

She doesn't say a word. She stares at the metal object on his hip. He follows her ling of sight. He removes the gun, and separates it from the clip. He clears the chamber, and places it on the floor. He offers her his hand. She reluctantly comes out of her hiding place. He leads her out of the corner, and she rises to her feet. He studies her closely. She is wearing a black long sleeved t-shirt, with a black zippered jacket over it, a pair of worn jeans, and black steel toed boots. Her face, hair, and clothes are soiled. It is clear to him that she hasn't bathed in days. A pair of weary eyes stare up at him. She is thin, and there are dark circles under her eyes. Part of him expects her to turn and run. He racks his brain trying to figure out who she is, and why she is here for his help. She moves unexpectedly. Her arms are wrapped around him, and her head is pressed to his side before he can react. He hugs her back, uncertain what to say.

"Let's get you something to eat."

She doesn't protest. She follows him up the stairs. He finds some eggs, and bacon in the refrigerator. He quickly fries them up, and arranges them on a plate. He pours her a glass of orange juice, and takes a seat across the table from her. She inhales her food as if she hasn't eaten in days. When she is finished she sits in silence as she stares at him.

"I can make you more," he offers.

She shakes her head.

"Are you going to tell me why you're here?"

She breaks eye contact, and the silence envelopes him. He feels awkward, being the one making conversation. He pushes away from the table, and removes the dishes. He places the dishes in the sink. As he turns around he hears her speak, just above a whisper.

"Bailey."

He grins, "Nice to meet you, Bailey."

"I didn't know where else to go," she explains.

"Tell me, Bailey, how old are you?"

"Ten."


	2. Chapter 2

"Bailey, you look as if you've traveled a long way to find me. I bet you're tired."

She nods, silently.

"Maybe you would rather talk in the morning, after a hot shower, and some sleep?"

"Okay," she agrees.

He leads her up the stairs, and heads into a bedroom. He pulls out an old NIS t-shirt, and hands it to her. She takes the shirt from her, and he shows her the bathroom.

"Towels are in the cabinet, and there is a fresh toothbrush in the drawer. Help yourself."

She nods, and closes the door. Fifteen minutes later she exits the bathroom with wet hair in an NIS t-shirt. He meets her in the hallway. Without a word he leads her to his room. He flips on the light.

"I'll sleep on the couch. Let me know if you need anything."

Without a word she climbs into the bed. He settles himself on the couch, but he doesn't feel tired. He feels restless, and confused. He vacates the couch, and climbs the stairs. He pushes the door ajar, and finds the little girl sound asleep. For some reason, he chooses to lock the door, before returning to the couch.

When he wakes up in the morning he expects to find an empty house. Instead, he hears the dryer buzzing. He hears footsteps, and a door close. Moments later he hears a door open, and a girl reappear. He shifts into a sitting position. She takes a seat on the arm of the couch.

"Are you ready to tell me what you need my help with?" He asks.

"I just need your help."

"What about your parents?" He wonders.

She shakes her head, "My parents are dead. I have been running for months."

"From who?"

"They think that I am someone that I'm not."

"Who do they think you are?"

"A terrorist," she answers.

He furrows his brow, "I don't understand."

"They think I was one of them. I'm not."

"Bailey, you're not making any sense."

"My life doesn't make sense."

"Bailey, I don't understand. Why do you think that I can help you?"

"You wouldn't believe me, even if I told you."

"Try me," he insists.

"We should go see Abby."

"How do you know about Abby?"

"Please," she begs.

"Bailey, it is Saturday, she isn't at work."

"It is really important."

"Who has been taking care of you?"

"No one. I don't have anyone left. I haven't had anyone that mattered for a long time. Please help me."

"I don't know how I can help you. You aren't giving me anything to go on."

"Abby can help."

"Do you know Abby?"

"I've never met her."

* * *

Half an hour later Gibbs finds himself in Abby's lab. Somehow, despite her protest, she has beat him to the lab. She is standing at her computer tapping her fingers in irritation, when he enters the room. She spins around and looks at him.

"Gibbs what is going on? You drag me down here on my day off, and we don't even have a case?"

"I need a favor."

"What kind of a favor?"

He enters the lab, and shakes his head, "You tell me."

"I don't know. You are the one who called me down here."

He flashes his index finger, "Hold on." He returns to the doorway, and pokes his head out, "Come on."

A ten year old girl follows him into the lab. She stops next to him, without a word he lifts her onto the stainless steel table.

"She won't tell me why we're here. She said that you would know. Do you know here?"

Abby stares at her blankly, "No."

He turns to Bailey, "I need you to be straight with me. Why are we all here?"

"I need you to test my DNA," she explains, locking eyes with Abby.

Abby scrutinizes every detail of the ten year old's face. Without a word she retrieves a swab. She hands the swab to Bailey. Bailey runs the cotton end along the inside of her cheek, and hands it back to Abby.

"What database would you like me to run this against?" Abby questions.

"NCIS," she answers.

Abby begins running the test. Gibbs stares at the ten year old in confusion.

"Are you going to tell me why we are running your DNA against the NCIS database?"

"Everything will make sense once you do," she insists.

"And if it doesn't?" He raises his eyebrow.

"I don't have anyone else."

Abby clears her throat, "You know Gibbs, I think that a Cafpow might make up for the fact that you dragged me in here on Saturday."

He nods, "I'll go get you one. Keep an eye on her."

"Of course," Abby agrees.

Jethro leaves the lab, and heads for the elevator. Abby waits for the elevator door to close before she begins. She turns towards the ten year old sitting on her lab table. She leans up against the table.

"You know who I am, who are you?"

"Isn't that the million dollar question?" Bailey responds.

Abby grins, "What is your name?"

"Bailey," she answers.

"How old are you?"

"Ten."

Abby nods, and just stares at the girl.

"That's it? You aren't going to ask me a million questions?"

"The results will be back soon enough. I assume that we are looking for a familial match."

"Answers will only lead to more questions."

"It sounds as if you have learned that from personal experience," Abby remarks.

"Can we talk about something else?"

"Where are your parents?"

"Dead."

"I could narrow down the search, and it would take less time."

"How?"

"Based on your features such as hair, and eye color."

She shakes her head, "I know that it won't take you very long, either way."

"Why did Gibbs bring you here?"

"I asked him to."

"Where did he find you?"

"I found him."

"Why?"

"He will know how to help me."

"How can you be so sure?"

She pulls a chain from around her neck, out from under her shirt. She holds up the key at the end of the chain. She holds it up for Abby to see.

"A key to a safety deposit box?" Abby guesses.

"Yes."

"What is inside?"

"Answers."


	3. Chapter 3

The computer dings, indicating a match. Before Abby can get to the computer it dings a second time. She turns around, and heads to the computer. She stares at it in confusion as a pair of images stare back at her. She notes that one person in the database is a fifty percent match, and the other is a twelve, and some odd percent match to the ten year old girl sitting on her table. Ten years old… she swallows hard, and allows her mind to connect the two dots on the screen to the girl sitting on the table. She turns around, and stares at the girl. Bailey makes eye contact, and that is when she sees it. The eyes stare up at her, holding a million secrets. Abby shakes her head.

"I don't understand."

"I have spent my whole life trying to understand."

Abby listens to her voice, and picks up the slightest hint of an accent. She furrows her brow.

"Is English your first language?"

"No," she shakes her head, "I speak four languages."

"I found a match."

"So you know who my mother is?"

"Yes," she nods, "I actually found two matches."

Bailey furrows her brow, "Two? I don't understand."

"Bailey do you know who your father is?"

"I know his name, but I don't have any memories of him, if that is what you're asking."

"I see."

"You said that there was a second match?"

"A partial match to someone else."

"To who?"

Abby stops her, "Bailey, did you tell Gibbs who you are?"

"No."

"You have to tell him."

"I know."

"This doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense."

"You knew this was a possibility, didn't you?"

Abby reaches into the cobwebs of her memory. She recalls a moment in time.

"I didn't think that it was. I don't understand how it is possible for you to exist…"

"There is a letter for you, and for Gibbs in the box."

"Where have you been all of this time?"

Gibbs clears his throat as he enters the lab. He offers Abby the CafPow, and joins her in the middle of the lab.

"That's what I want to know."

Abby sits the CafPow on the surface of the table. She shakes her head, "You need to look at this first," she argues.

"Okay," he agrees as she leads him to the screen.

He stops in front of the computer screen. He stares at the pictures, and the percentages, and his mind begins to race. His heart soon joins in, and he feels as if the room is spinning. He takes a few deep breaths, and the spinning stops. He looks at Abby, and then to the girl.

"No, it's not possible," he argues.

"Agent Gibbs, I have a key to a safety deposit box. There is information in it that will help this make sense."

"Let's go."

He sits at his kitchen table with a ten year old he's just met across the table from him. Abby sits next to him. He dumps the contents of a manila envelope onto the table. He hands Abby a letter addressed to her. He sifts through the documents. He fixates on the DNA results fifty percent match to one of his former agents, and approximately twelve percent to another. He skips to the only common denominator between them. He feels fingers touch the back of his hand. He shifts his eyes upward. He finds a pair of hazel eyes staring back at him. A pair of eyes that seemed familiar from the moment he met the ten year old hiding in his basement. She hands him a birth certificate. He reads it to himself.

 _January 20_ _th_ _, 2005. Bailey._ His eyes skip lines of details. _Father—NONE._ _Mother_. He stops reading. He finds himself overcome with emotion. He hands the document to Abby. He reaches into the pile, and finds a letter addressed to him. Next to him Abby has already opened hers, and is reading it in silence.

 _Abby,_

 _I know that this doesn't make a lot of sense to you right now. If you're reading this, I have most certainly departed from this world. I almost told you about the baby, but I chickened out at the last second. I think that you knew I was lying, though. I just hadn't decided what to do yet. I am still terrified. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened, because I was too afraid to take his life the first time I met him._

The letter isn't signed, but Abby instantly recognizes the handwriting. She shifts her attention to the birth certificate she is holding in her other hand. _Bailey Abigail._ She exhales, and looks up at the ten year old sitting to her right. She tries to make all of the pieces fit together, but she has a hard time, because to make them fit there has to be deception involved. Or a truth someone was too afraid to disclose.

* * *

 _June 29_ _th_ _, 2004_

 _Abby is standing in front of her computer waiting for results. The party standing next to her, desperately awaits DNA results as well. Abby reaches for the speaker knob to turn up the music, and further drown out the silence. She hears the person behind her clear her throat._

" _I think I might be pregnant."_

 _Abby spins around, and locks eyes with her colleague, "What?!" Her eyes widen._

" _Just kidding," she backpedals, "I just wanted to see if you were actually listening."_


	4. Chapter 4

" _Kate, that's not funny. You nearly gave me a heart attack."_

" _Sorry."_

* * *

His head spins a fifty percent DNA match to Kate, and a twelve percent match to Ziva, meaning that the only common denominator was… his stomach twists into knots. He shifts his focus to the envelope addressed to him. He rips the envelope open, and finds several pages inside. He begins to read a familiar scrawl.

 _January, 23_ _rd_ _, 2005_

 _Gibbs,_

 _I am truly sorry that I have lied to you all of this time. You think that I am out because of a shoulder injury. I never told you the truth. I never told anyone. I simply didn't know how to. I have a brand new daughter, and I sit awake all night, trying to figure out how to protect her. He will find out about her. He will take her from me. He will make me pay. I hope that she finds you one day. Please make sure she is okay._

 _Kate_

He feels a lump beginning to form in his throat as the picture begins to become clearer. He shifts to the next page. He realizes that it is a photocopied page from a journal, or something equivalent.

 _May 5_ _th_ _, 2004_

 _When I got home last night, I found out that I wasn't alone. Ari was here. He broke in to my apartment. He was waiting for me when I got here. I tried to make him leave. It wasn't that simple._

 _June 29_ _th_ _, 2004_

 _Several weeks ago Ari broke into my apartment. He would only leave after I gave him what he wanted. This morning my doctor confirmed that I'm pregnant. I don't know what to do. I nearly told Abby everything, but I don't want to get her involved. How can I continue knowing what I do? I can't give birth to the child of a known terrorist._

He locks eyes with Bailey. She doesn't say a word. He tries to formulate a thought. He can't think clearly enough to string a sentence together.

"Where have you been all of this time?" Abby breaks the silence.

"My mother was supposed to pick me up from the sitter that afternoon. The woman who was watching me was the next door neighbor. He took me, I don't know what happened to the sitter, but I would guess that she didn't live to tell about it."

"He died soon after that," Abby points out.

"I think he knew how things would end."

"Then why did he kill Kate? Why did he take you?"

"He gave me to Sergei," she explains.

"Seregei has been dead for months," Gibbs points out.

"He shipped me off to a boarding school stateside when I was six."

"Why aren't you there, now?" Abby wonders.

"One night I woke up, and there was someone standing over my bed. It was Sergei. He said that if something happened to me I would have to carry on the mission."

"You're here to kill me?" Gibbs questions.

"No. I didn't want any part of any of this. He told me that people he knew would come and retrieve me. He said that they would take me somewhere remote, and teach me what I need to know," she looks at them, on the verge of tears, "I don't want anything to do with his mission. I knew that they would come. I left the next morning, they followed me all the way to West Virginia."

"How did you survive on your own for all of those months?" Gibbs questions.

"Sergei made me undergo wilderness survival training when I was nine. We spent the whole summer in the desert," Bailey explains.

"Bailey what do you know about Sergei, or your father?"

"They were half-brothers. My father died when I was just a few months old. I know Ari was a terrorist."

"What do you know about your mother?" Gibbs queries.

"Are you asking what I was told, or what I actually know?"

"What do you know?"

"Sergei told me that my father took me, because my mother abandoned me. He wanted me to believe that she didn't want me. I read the news articles, I know that Ari killed her," she swallows hard.

"Bailey, we didn't know about you," Gibbs explains.

"I know. I know that she was trying to protect me. She didn't know how to tell any of you."

"Why do _you_ think that is?" Gibbs asks delicately.

"Having me was her decision, but I don't think creating me was," she answers.

Gibbs vacates his chair. Without a word he walks around the table to her. He scoots her chair away from the table. He wraps his arms around her.

"We would have come for you," he insists.

"I don't think she had enough time."

"What makes you say that?"

She digs a piece of paper from the pile, and hands it to him.

 _Bailey,_

 _If you're reading this you found the key sewed into the lining of your blanket. If that is the case I am dead. I wasn't planning on any of this. The world is a complicated place, and this was a complicated situation. I am going to stick to the simple things that I know to be true. First of all no matter what anyone says, from the second I laid eyes on you I realized how much that I loved you. I want to protect you, and get to see you grow up, but I don't know if that is possible. Last night when I put you in your crib I found stuffed lion lying inside. It was from Ari, I am certain of it. He isn't supposed to know about you. If he does our days together are numbered. He will want to take you from me. I love you to the moon and back._

 _Love,_

 _Mom_


	5. Chapter 5

_May 4_ _th_ _, 2004_

 _It's nearly midnight when she enters her apartment. She closes the door, and flips on the lamp in the living room. She takes a step, and freezes, realizing that she's not alone. She swallows hard, and slowly looks up. She finds him sitting on her couch. She feels her pulse quicken._

" _Hello, Caitlin," he greets her._

" _How did you get in here?"_

" _I'm here now," he rises from his seat. She reaches for her gun, and he raises his. He moves towards her, and she points her gun at him. He presses his to her temple, and she plants hers in his chest. Her clip is no longer in her gun. His lips turn upward as he realizes this. She placed her clip on the counter as she entered the apartment. He takes the gun from her hand._

" _Why are you here?"_

" _I want you to remember me."_

" _Please leave," she pleads as she reaches for her phone. He cocks the gun, and her phone falls from her hand onto the floor._

* * *

 _January 20_ _th_ _, 2005_

 _She stares at the infant lying in her arms. She's a few weeks early, and a few hours old. The newborn stares up at her. This wasn't the plan, none of this was the plan. She stares at the little girl, and she doesn't know she could possible give her to someone else to raise. She presses her lips to the baby's forehead, and plants a kiss. "I love you, Bailey."_

* * *

He stares at a picture of Kate, in a hospital gown, staring at the newborn in her arms, completely unfocused on the camera. He places the picture back on the table, and stares at the ten year old girl. She has her eyes, and her smile. Her hair is long, and dark. He feels guilty for not knowing. He feels guilty for not digging deeper. He doesn't allow his mind to wonder what she's seen in her lifetime.

Abby studies the girl sitting next to her. She can't wrap her head around the fact that she is Kate's daughter. For ten years she was out there. The feeling at the pit of her stomach that they had missed something, that never went away. She has a hard time keeping the guilt at bay.

* * *

 _November 30_ _th_ _, 2004_

 _Abby turns around, and finds Kate waiting on her. She is already bundled up in her coat, and scarf. Abby turns off the light in her office, and moves towards her. She notices that her coat is only buttoned halfway to the bottom._

" _Are you hot?"_

" _No, why?" Kate responds._

" _You're only half buttoned."_

" _Are you ready?" She deflects._

" _Yeah," she grabs her coat, "Are you having a hard time buttoning because of those holiday pounds?"_

 _All of the color drains from Kate's face. Abby elbows her, "I'm just kidding."_

* * *

"I didn't know where else to go," Bailey admits, "I don't have any other family."

"Your mother has a sister, and brothers," Gibbs points out.

"I don't know how to reach any of them," Bailey adds, "She told me to come to you, if there was an emergency."

"You're still afraid that they will come after you?" Abby quizzes.

"Yes," she nods in confirmation.

"What about Ziva?"

"Who?" She furrows her brow.

Abby speaks up, "The other match. I got a twelve percent match to Ziva."

"I don't know what that means," Bailey admits.

"Ziva joined our team after your mother died," Gibbs explains.

"Why was she a match to my DNA?"

"Ziva was Ari's half-sister," Abby explains.

"She works at NCIS?"

"She used to."

"I didn't know that he had a sister," she admits.

"Bailey, what do you want us to do?"

"I just want to know that I'm safe."

"Can you give us a minute?"

"Yes," she nods.

Abby, and Gibbs leave the room. She follows him into the basement. He flips on the light before they reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Gibbs how are we going to protect her?"

"I don't know if we can. Abby, DC is not a good city to choose if you want to hide. There are plenty of people…"

She finishes his thought, "And plenty of cameras."

"Get Ziva on the phone," he insists.

"You want me to bring her in from the cold?"

"If Bailey is ever going to be able to sleep through the night we're going to have to put her fears to rest."

"You want to draw them out?"

"I want Ziva here when I do it."

"Okay," Abby agrees.

Bailey is sound asleep on the couch, as Gibbs sits at his kitchen table, cleaning his gun. Abby has long since gone home. He hears footsteps outside of his door. He doesn't instinctively grab his weapon. He leaves it lying on the table as he vacates his seat. He walks past Bailey, towards his front door. He doesn't peek out. He pulls the door open, and a familiar face stands in front of him. He ushers her in. She places her bag on the floor, and shoots him a look.

"Abby called," she tells him.

"I know."

"She said it was an emergency," Ziva adds.

"Yes."

"She called on your behalf."

"Yes."

"She gave me no details, and insisted that I come home."

"Home," he grins as he ruminates on her use of the word.

"I got on the first plane I could find. Gibbs, what am I doing here?"

"It didn't take you very long," he points out.

"I was already stateside. I was in New Mexico."

"On business?"

"I was on a security detail for an Israeli diplomat."

"Since when do you do security details?"

"That was my assignment," she grins.

"What was your real assignment?"

"Does it matter?'

"No," he shakes his head.

"Gibbs why am I here? You wouldn't have called unless you needed me."

"Bailey," he answers.

She shakes her head, "Bailey? Is that supposed to mean something to me?"

"Her name is Bailey. She is why you're here."

"I do not know anyone by that name."

"You've never met her."

"What does she have to do with me?"


End file.
